114 THE NEW SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE 



' ' He had been long t 'wards Mathematics, 

 Optics, philosophy, and statics, 

 Magic, horoscopy, astrology, 

 And was old dog at physiology. " 14 



Here is a quack who has taken over the interests of the true 

 science also. He has made all the new discoveries in the moon, 

 has located the seas, lakes and mountains there; 15 he " cures warts 

 and corns, with application of medicines to the imagination "; 16 

 he has studied maggots in cheese, mites in vinegar and wood; 17 

 he is an antiquarian, learned in "hieroglyphics mute of birds " on 

 the oriental obelisk; 18 he is a star-gazer like Galileo and the other 

 astronomers; 19 and, in general, he professes a universal knowl 

 edge. 20 And yet he could not tell the "natural cause" why no 

 painter ever draws a full moon on a sign but always the half. 21 

 Here is a type characteristic of the writers of comedy; in other 

 words, here is an exploitation of a humor. 



This work of exploitation is thoroughly done; almost nothing 

 escapes. The vortex theory of Descartes, 22 the new atomic theory 

 in physiology, 23 transfusion of blood, 24 the stentrophonic tube, 25 

 botanical study, 26 the use of pendulum watches, 27 "Napier's 

 bones", 28 mathematical calculations, 29 sympathetic powder, 30 the 

 collection of "monstrous births", 81 , chemistry, 32 "bottled 



"Part II, c. 3, 1. 205. 



Ibid. 251-71. 



"Ibid. 287. 



"Ibid. 317-23. 



18 Ibid. 403-412. 



18 Ibid. 413. 



80 Ibid. 397. 



Part II, c. 3, 1. 783. 



22 Ibid. 871. 



28 Ibid. 1121. 



24 Ibid. 1229-52. 



Pt. Ill, c. 1, 1. 251-2. 



26 Ibid. 328-9. 



27 Ibid. 449. 



28 Pt. Ill, c. 2, 1. 409. 



29 Pt. I, c. 1, 1. 119-26. 



80 Pt. I, c. 2, 1. 223-8. 



81 Pt. II, c. 1, 63-7. 

 Pt. II, c. 1, 423-6. 



